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* * T H E P R E A C H E R ' S
S T U D Y First Tuesday of December, 2000 Subscribe free on the web at: Back Issues available at: *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* VISIT THE PREACHER’S STUDY WEBSITE! A wealth of sermons, lessons, and other items pertaining to preaching are available by subscription. An extensive free area is also available. Sermons are full-text and illustration filled. To see what some of our subscribers are saying, click on the link below: http://preacherstudy.com/testimonials.htm To view sample sermons: http://preacherstudy.com/sample.htm Or go to the home page at: *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* IN THIS ISSUE: [1] Greetings from the Editor [2] Featured Article: "What's Your Angle?" (Part 1) [3] Preacher's Study Website Updates [4] On Subscribing to Our Website [5] Contact Info [6] Subscribe to this Ezine [7] Copyright Info *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* [1] *=*Greetings from the Editor Greetings to all our subscribers. There are nearly 1900 of you now. If this is your first issue, I'm very glad you joined us. What an honor it is to serve so many of you through this ezine. One month and still those of us living in the U.S.A. don't know who our next president will be. What a mess! Hopefully it will be resolved soon. In this issue I want take up the topic of angle, that is, the so-called "angle" of a sermon. It is, in my opinion, one of the most important aspects of good sermon writing. The term, as I understand it, comes from journalism. You may be familiar with the concept under a different name. Due to the length of some of these articles, and the reluctance of many to receive and read long emails, I will split this piece up, as I have done with others. When you've finished here, stay tuned for more on this subject in the next issue or two. While waiting for the rest of what begins here, if you are a new subscriber, I invite you to take a look at some back issues. You will find them at: http://www.preacherstudy.com/bkissue.htm God bless. --Dave [2] *=*Featured Article WHAT'S YOUR ANGLE? (Part 1) By Dave Redick What makes a sermon interesting? A forceful presentation? Carefully worded main points? Attention grabbing illustrations? Clarity and understandability? Faithfulness to the Biblical text? Each of these is important (the last one being *essential* if we are to please the One on Whose behalf our sermons are written.) But many sermons have all of these things, yet lack that special punch that catches and holds people's attention and leaves a memorable biblical impression. Why? What's the illusive ingredient? I have asked this question again and again as I suspect many of you have. I have reviewed hundreds of sermons, including some found on the web. I've struggled for years with writing my own. Some have flown well. Others seem to have crashed before they ever got off the ground. What gives a sermon attention holding power and impact? I believe it's the angle. This facet, chosen after the passage is studied but before the sermon is written, makes the difference. The angle is the slant of the sermon. It's the point of view. It's a way of looking at the topic or passage that brings out its important points in an interesting way. These points are already present in the passage. They need only be discovered and highlighted by the angle. A diamond looks quite ordinary in the rough. If we had a handful of them, we might even say they are "boring." It is only when each stone is carefully and strategically cut, then polished and mounted, that it takes on the beauty that causes us to view it as a precious and memorable possession. To pick up a hammer and cleaving iron haphazardly and begin beating the stone is not likely to expose the fine points of its inherent beauty. A skilled diamond cutter must study the unique characteristics of each rough diamond to decide how best to make the cuts that will bring out the dazzle without violating the stone's integrity. A careless strike with the mallet can send a potentially valuable stone to the reject pile. Likewise, I believe, in every passage, there are various possible angles that will bring out the inherent meaning of the passage in interesting ways. A sermon with a good angle is more than a dry recital of the facts. It is the application of a perspective that the sermon's hearers can relate to, yet that does not violate the passages integrity or meaning. Perhaps an example will clarify my point. Luke 10:38-42 tells the story of Mary and Martha on an occasion when they entertained Jesus in their home. It is an oft told story which has interest in its own right. It is also a popular text with preachers. Wanting to tell the story in a fresh way to a group of Christians who had probably heard more than one sermon on the passage, I brainstormed the text with a friend until we came up with a unique angle: "One meal you can't eat in the kitchen." I cannot recall whether this was original with us or not (it probably wasn't!) but it provided an interesting slant. It pitted the physical meal that Martha was so careful about in the kitchen and Mary was so careless about in the livingroom against the far more important spiritual meal that Jesus was serving. The lesson was that you couldn't eat the meal of truth Jesus was serving in the livingroom while in the "kitchen" frame of mind Martha was in. You can probably take it from there. I might mention here that in the case of this example, the sermon's angle also became the title, which is often handily the case. If you'll take a moment to think about it, I would venture that the most memorable sermons you have heard were ones that had an interesting angle or slant. Once you decide on the angle for a sermon, you will discover that you don't need to highlight every part of a passage, but merely those parts that establish or support your angle. It is also true that two separate slants on the same passage may produce two separate sermons without violating the integrity of the passage. In the text mentioned above, one might take a slant that reflected Mary's point of view: "Four things I can't understand about my sister, Martha" might be the angle. Likewise, from Martha's perspective: "What it is that frustrates me out of my mind about my sister, Mary." This is why two preachers can preach from the same passage, effectively expose its relevant truths, yet come up with two very different sermons. Your angle must of necessity be in harmony with the Biblical writer's intent. It is not right to impose an angle on a passage that causes your sermon to teach something inconsistent with what the original author intended. Careful exegesis must be done first, lest you violate the passage's integrity. So how does one arrive at an interesting angle? Part of the process is admittedly subjective, but there is some objective science to it – perhaps enough to get your creative juices flowing. Next time we'll talk about some typical angles that can bring both interest and impact to your sermons. [To be continued] Copyright (c) Dave Redick, The Preacher's Study, 2000-2001. All Rights Reserved. Reprint by permission only (which will probably be granted if you just ask.) Please do not cut articles out of this ezine and paste them anywhere else without permission. You may, however, forward this entire Ezine to friends freely. [3] *=*Preacher's Study Website Updates Two new messages were added to the Premium section of our website since the last issue. If you have premium access you may view them at: http://preacherstudy.com To learn more about premium access, use the link below: http://preacherstudy.com/subinfo.htm The new messages are: "Prayer for a Doomed City" based on Genesis 18:16-33. This sermon presents the importance and requirements of effective intercession by looking at Abraham's prayer for any righteous who may have lived in the ancient city of Sodom. "The Bitter Fruit of a Compromised Life" based on Genesis 19:1-38 considers the summation of what Lot gained and lost by his presence in Sodom. Both of these messages are part of a series on the life of Abraham. New material is added weekly. If we miss a week, we double the material on the following week. [4] *=*On Subscribing to Our Website This ezine, The Preacher's Study Ezine, is actually an extension of my website, The Preacher's Study. The two entities work hand-in-hand to promote what is unashamedly my greatest passion: promoting accurate, interesting, relevant preaching of God's Word. If you enjoy these articles, please do visit the website. You'll find the same quality of material there. Yes, there is a modest subscription fee for access to part of it, namely the Premium area, but I believe that, as our current subscribers testify again and again, you'll find good value there. All of us purchase books and commentaries to enhance our understanding of the Bible and improve our preaching. Some of these simply become inert additions to already crowded bookshelves. A subscription to The Preacher's Study will not likely become shelfware. Come see for yourself at: [5] *=*Contact Info The Preacher's Study Website & Ezine [6] *=*Easy Subscribe/Unsubscribe Instructions To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to the following web page and follow the simple instructions: http://preacherstudy.com/maillist.htm [Your email address will be kept fully confidential and will never be sold or given to anyone.] [7] *=*Copyright Info The material in this Ezine is copyrighted (c) 2000 by The Preacher's Study. Reprint articles by permission only. Please do not cut and paste this material into any other documents. You may, however, forward the email version to friends and associates.
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